by Marilyn Levinson
I’m in awe of mystery authors who post about their successful book-signing events on Facebook, stating their events at bookstores and other venues resulted in many book sales. How do they do it? I wonder. I’ve participated in my share of book signings and never experienced great results. And so I’ve learned to reach readers other ways, via social media and my monthly newsletter.
Which doesn’t mean I avoid public speaking. This past week I spoke at my Friends of the Library group. I’m a member of the Friends, though I don’t attend many meetings these days because of an exercise class at the same time as the meetings. However, I strongly believe in the Friends, a group that supports my local library, and I’m happy to do my part. So when I received a notice asking for speaker recommendations, I emailed Helene our president whom I know quite well, and said I’d be happy to speak to the group. I’d done this a few years ago, and Helene told me the members really enjoyed my talk. She asked me to come and speak again in a few months’ time.
An administrator from the library called to make my visit official. When she mentioned payment, I told her I was a Friend of the Library and wasn’t asking for a fee. She scheduled me to speak after a monthly meeting. Some members left, but about twenty-five people remained. Since I knew many of those present, I kept my talk informal. I talked about the mystery series I was currently writing, my two children’s books that were soon to be republished, and other books I had written. I mentioned my newsletter, website, and Amazon page. I gave away paperback copies of one of my mysteries. I’m not in the habit of giving away copies of my books except as giveaways via Author Takeovers and my newsletter, but this was my Friends group. Since Harlequin gives me forty-eight author copies whenever they take one of my books for their book club, I felt happy to give copies to my fellow Friends of the Library.
I also talked about my writing process and a bit about publishing. I answered questions about how to get support when starting to write, to self-publishing, how to find a publisher, how long it takes me to write a mystery novel, and how a book gets to be number one in the ratings. This book-loving audience showed interest in knowing about writing and the book industry. It was a bonus that I knew many of the people in my audience.
The talk lasted forty-five minutes. My good friend Marilyn came up to tell me I’d done a great job. You might ask “What did you get out of giving this talk?” I didn’t sell any books. I didn’t make any money. Honestly, it was my pleasure. I enjoy speaking to groups about writing and publishing. I don’t know if my speaking to the Friends will lead to more book sales. Then again, I don’t know what promotional efforts lead to more book sales. But talking to interested groups is one way of getting my name out there and I hope acquiring new readers.
A former Spanish teacher, Marilyn Levinson writes mysteries and novels for kids. Her books have received many accolades. As Allison Brook she writes the Haunted Library series. Death Overdue, the first in the series, was an Agatha nominee for Best Contemporary Novel in 2018. Overdue Or Die, the seventh book in the series, comes out in October of this year. Other mysteries include the Golden Age of Mystery Book Club series, the Twin Lakes series, and Giving Up the Ghost.
